Haifa District Attorney charges two men of altering ATM machines to make fake debit cars using stolen data.

The Haifa District Attorney filed an indictment on Friday, charging two men with
creating counterfeit debit cards using data stolen from altered automated teller
machines (ATMs).

Yitzhak Malka, 29, and Eliran Rafaelov Agronov, 21, both
from Migdal Ha’emek in the North, allegedly used the counterfeit cards to steal
tens of thousands of shekels.

The indictment alleges that the two men
stole ATM machines and altered their software so that when customers tried to
withdraw cash, the machines would copy their cards’ account numbers and record
their PIN passwords.

The altered ATMs were mobile cashpoint machines
manufactured by the Caspomat company leased to businesses including pubs, bars
and kiosks, the indictment said.

According to one charge on the
indictment, last month the defendants installed fake ATMs in a restaurant in
Haifa, by presenting themselves to the restaurant owner as legitimate
businessmen. Then several hours before the Maccabi vs. Hapoel Haifa football
match on March 17, Agronov and Malka deliberately disrupted four Bank Leumi and
Bank Hapoalim ATMs around the stadium to lure customers to use the altered ATM
in the restaurant.

The next day, Malka and Agronov allegedly took the
stolen credit and debit card data from the altered ATM and used it to create
counterfeit cards.

They used the counterfeit cards to withdraw large sums
of money from banks, successfully withdrawing a total of NIS 28,297, the
indictment said.

Malka and Agronov also attempted to withdraw at least a
further NIS 13,500, $400 and 400 euros, the indictment alleges.

The
defendants also installed an altered ATM in a Ra’anana pub, the indictment
alleges, but that machine was discovered to be fake and the pub closed to the
public while it was removed.

Malka and Agronov are charged with
possession of suspect property, conspiracy for a felony, obtaining something by
deceit, attempt to obtain something by deceit, possession of debit card
counterfeiting equipment and aggravated debit card fraud.